Abu Dhabi double for Mullen including feature with Somoud

Abu Dhabi: Jean de Roualle’s Somoud put his hands up as favourite for next month’s Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown with a rather comfortable victory in Sunday’s course and distance prep at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.

On a roll: It was a fourth straight success for Jean de Roualle's stable star Somoud (ERA)

The PA Group 1 Jewel Crown will be run on 4 December and the 6yo son of Munjiz is likely to have Richard Mullen piloting him yet again as he looks to stretch his unbeaten run to five. He won his fourth consecutive run by two and a quarter lengths to take his UAE record to six wins in 11 starts.

Mullen delivered a riding masterclass aboard Somoud, one of two winners for him on the night, a feat that took him to the top of the UAE Jockeys Championship. The former UAE champion was the spectacular winner of the only Thoroughbred affair on the card which was contested over 1400m.

The distance for the Jewel Crown has been upped to 2200m this year and Mullen kept it clean as he let Somoud settle in midfield for the most part before unleashing him 600m out. With 400m left, Somoud had taken over from AF Al Bairaq, trained by Ernst Oertel and ridden by current UAE Champion Jockey Tadhg O’Shea.

Once he shifted gears, he was unstoppable and pulled two and a quarter lengths clear of AF Al Bairaq, with Majed Al Jahoori’s Harrab back in third by the same margin with Connor Beasley up.

Mullen then won the 1400m Thoroughbred handicap with UAE Champion Trainer Satish Seemar’s Irish Freedom winning the battle of the bobbing heads on the line on the final stride (race video below). Again all credit to Mullen and his dogged determination aboard Irish Freedom saw the pair erase a massive deficit in the final 200m to win by a nose.

Qaiss Aboud’s Bernardo Pinheiro driven Sugar Boy was second with Seemar’s enjoying third place with Welford, who was a further short head back with O’Shea up.

O’Shea and Oertel combined to land the 1600m Wathba Stallions Cup race with AF Arrab, while Beasley won the 2200m handicap with Abdallah Al Hammadi’s Onward.

Al Hammadi's Onward winning under Beasley

Eric Lemartinel and Fabrice Veron joined forces to win the 1400m maiden for 3yos with Mujeeb, while Jackie Wickham also scored, winning a maiden for 4yo and above horses over 1400m with Al Ajeeb W’Rsan.